


Idol

by Frangipanidownunder



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-13
Updated: 2017-10-13
Packaged: 2019-01-16 23:19:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12352605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frangipanidownunder/pseuds/Frangipanidownunder
Summary: Halloween fic based on Mulder and Emily shopping for a costume.





	Idol

“Mulder, it’s me.”  
“Hey, doc. You’re late.” He’s been checking his watch every half-hour.  
“I know and I’m going to be even later, the surgery didn’t go so well and I want to stay awhile, make sure the parents understand what’s going on.”  
He sighs. “Are you okay, Scully?”  
“I’m fine. But I know Emily was waiting for me to get home…”  
“To go shopping for Halloween costumes. I think she’s excited.”  
He hears Scully’s long exhalation and imagines her cricking her neck side to side. He wants to press his fingers into her tight shoulders and ease her pain, but that will have to wait. Emily tugs at the hem of his tee-shirt and he smiles down at her. “Mommy says we can go shopping soon. Do you want to say hello?”  
He hands the phone to her and she whispers hello, twisting her body round as she hugs the handset to her ear. She is a quiet child, shy and serious. But she’s started to open up a little around him. With Scully she is more confident, chatting away, but with him she’s a little more cautious. She gives him back the phone.  
“And Mulder. No monsters or aliens. Please.”  
“You’re no fun anymore, Scully.”  
Emily looks at him with her disquieting gaze and he says goodbye. She walks to the door to put on her shoes. She’s so contained, deliberate, that he can see Scully in all her movements. And he knows that monsters and aliens are definitely off the menu.  
The store is busy, wild with colour and noisy. Kids are squealing, teens are chatting on their phones, mothers are pulling out costumes and checking sizes. He heads to the children’s section, holding tight to Emily’s hand as they negotiate the crowds. He sees the Disney section and shows her Ariel, Cinderella, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Sleeping Beauty, Mulan but all he gets is a bare shake of the head. There’s a Sesame Street and Muppets section but she won’t even stop to look; the sports section has tutus, basketball outfits, baseball uniforms, leotards, tracksuits, plus fours, martial arts gear and tennis-wear. She won’t try anything on.  
He kneels down. “Did you tell Mommy what you wanted?”  
She chews her lip and frowns. “No, Mulder.”  
“Do you have any idea what you want to wear?”  
Her shoulders slump and she shakes her head. He stands up and takes her hand again, heading to the superheroes section. Superman, Supergirl, Batman, Batgirl, Hulk, Spiderman, Wonder Woman. He holds them out, one by one.  
“They should have a Dana Scully one here, shouldn’t they?” He lets the Captain America costume fall back in place.  
Emily giggles and he watches her face lift. So much like Scully. The smile that changes everything. The smile that cures diseases. The smile that seeds ideas…He pulls her to the section where the costumes depicts career choices. He rifles through costumes for police officers, fire-fighters, soldiers, labourers, chefs until he finds what he’s looking for. He takes it off the rack and holds it up against her. She takes it and looks it over, her gaze intensifying.  
“Well? Do you want to try it on, Emily?”  
She shrugs and he takes that as a good sign. He finds the change-room and heads in with her. She hesitates at the door before letting him in. So Scully, that scrutiny, that consideration, that independent streak. He hopes it never leaves her. She lets him help her into the costume.  
“Thank you, Mulder,” she says as she’s finally all dressed. She stands in front of the mirror, twisting this way and that. His phone rings.  
“Mulder, how’s it going?”  
He smiles down at Emily. “I think we’re getting somewhere.”  
“What has she chosen?”  
“I think you’ll love it.”  
“But you’re not going to tell me what it is?”  
“It’ll be a nice surprise for you.”  
“Do I get a clue?”  
He raises his eyebrows. “Scully, let’s just say that Emily has chosen something that represents her idol.”  
The line for the register is long and Emily fidgets, holding the white doctor’s coat and stethoscope in her hand. They wait and wait, shuffling slowly forward. As they near the cashiers she tugs on his hand and points to the nearest costumes. He bends to hear what she’s saying.  
“But, Emily. You’ve chosen the doctor’s costume so you can dress up like Mommy.”  
The headlights flash through the gap in the living room curtains and Mulder stands up. Emily has been napping on the couch, desperate to see Scully before bedtime. But it’s late and he’s sure that Scully is going to be mad with him. She opens the door and smiles at them. She’s exhausted. The smudges under her eyes, the slump of her shoulders, the way she drops her bag at the door.  
“Mommy, I got a costume,” Emily says, rushing to Scully. Scully bends and wraps her in a long, welcome hug.  
“I heard. Are you going to show me?”  
“Coffee, Scully?” Mulder asks. “Or wine?”  
Scully drops onto the couch and flops her head back. “Wine, please. How did it go?”  
He pours the shiraz and puts it on the side table. He stands behind her and massages her gristled shoulders. “Your daughter drives a hard bargain.”  
“Good for her,” Scully says, laying a hand over Mulder’s as he works his fingers into her neck. “And I’m excited to see this idol costume, Mulder.”  
“It’s not what you think, Scully…” he says, as Emily arrives back in the room.  
He gives Scully her wine and waits as her eyes rake over her daughter’s costume, then back to Mulder. She is silent for a beat too long. She swallows, presses the back of her forefinger under her nose and sniffs.  
“She’s a fox, Mulder.”  
“I can explain.”  
But before he can, Emily picks up the long bushy tail behind her and strokes it, smiling. “Daddy helped me pick it.”  
He opens his mouth but nothing comes out. Scully squeezes his knee, tears tracking down her face. “It’s perfect, Mulder.”


End file.
